


Nero

by likethecatiam



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Grammarly is my beta, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Title Subject to Change, Vampires, because ALSO, that feels weird lol, this is also a vampire fic, uhhh FUCK, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:55:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28730799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likethecatiam/pseuds/likethecatiam
Summary: It’s early May of 2019 when Seonghwa makes a new friend.It’s mid-September of 2019 when that friend turns into something more.It’s in December of that same year when Seonghwa’s world completely changes, and that friend turned something more, becomes something, someone even more in a way like no other.OrVampires are a thing, the world at large just doesn't know about it. Seonghwa just so happens to make the right connections and is officially the first fourth-gen idol to join their midst. His fledgling-hood, however, occurs during a very unfortunate time, leaving him and many others unprepared targets.
Relationships: ATEEZ Ensemble & ATEEZ Ensemble, Everyone & Everyone, Park Seonghwa & Everyone, Park Seonghwa/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Nero

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to my first ATEEZ fic! You've surely seen the tags so thank you for giving this a chance! I know OCs tend to turn people off but all but one are only there for plot purposes or to add some padding to the story. Fully expect cameos from other artists/boy group members. Since I'm not very much into girl groups, there will probably only be a mention or Very short cameo from them.
> 
> I only have this chapter written but I'm pretty excited to get back into writing. Let's hope this is a work I don't delete four months after posting like my other shit lmao. In an attempt to combat that, however, I'm gonna focus more on writing when I can and not attempting to adhere to an update schedule. That being said, expect slow updates and ones of varying length, to hopefully ensure that I don't lose steam for this fic.
> 
> For reference, I 100% based my OC's appearance off of luon_live on Instagram. But only his appearance, everything else is of my own making.
> 
> I'd also like to make it abundantly clear that in this fic, a work of FICTION, Park Seonghwa is written as a gay man. I do not mean to assume his sexuality or make any statements about it, or any of the members' sexuality for that matter. I don't expect any issues to come of this, but I wanted to put that out there just in case.

It’s early May of 2019 when Seonghwa makes a new friend.

The exact day escapes him, but he remembers it was during one of his solo schedules, a photoshoot for when promotions would start for Wave and Illusion. Their tour had just finished its first leg, and they’re back in Korea to gear up for their comeback. The other members are either back at the dorm or on their own schedules, so it’s just him, his manager, Taehoon, and the stylists. He hasn’t been introduced to the photographer(s), but that’s not too unusual.

He’s sitting off to the side, watching them add the finishing touches to the set when he hears a voice ask, “I’m assuming you’re my muse for today?”

The tone is light, mostly joking. It’s more of a conversation starter than anything, but Seonghwa is still startled at not having heard the person approach. Standing to his left is a fairly tall man, easily as tall as Yunho, with dark hair peeking from his nape, bangs parted down the middle. Large eyes stare at him kindly, and Seonghwa notices a beauty mark near the corner of his right eye. He has a black blazer over a gray mock neck, and Seonghwa spots a tattoo creeping up the left side of his neck. The man seems to notice Seonghwa’s surprise because he smiles apologetically, eyes scrunching slightly as he bows when he speaks, “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Chae Jinyoung, I’m the photographer.”

Seonghwa blushes embarrassedly, hurriedly bowing and taking the offered hand as he introduces himself, “Park Seonghwa.”

Jinyoung’s smile widens, showing off a row of pearly white teeth. “Nice to meet you, Seonghwa-ssi. Is this your first shoot?”

“For today, yes,” Seonghwa replies, smiling politely.

Jinyoung nods in understanding, smile turning into a grin. “Mmm, well, I’ll be sure to make sure it’s at least an enjoyable one. Start the day strong, right?”

Seonghwa’s smile turns a little more genuine as he nods in reply.

“Certainly helps to have a beautiful model, definitely makes my job easier.”

The blond feels his face flush, ducking his head to avoid the taller’s teasing eyes, smiling shyly. He’s not entirely sure if it was meant jokingly or not, but he mumbles a thank you nonetheless. Before the conversation has a chance to continue, the set designers announce they’ve finished, and everyone is moving to their stations. Jinyoung pats him on the shoulder before walking to his camera and tripod, and Seonghwa makes his way to the middle of the set, standing at his marked spot. Jinyoung messes with his camera for a minute before nodding in satisfaction.

To his credit, Jinyoung does make the shoot more fun than it probably would’ve normally been. While he does his job well and gives clear instructions, every now and then, he’d do something that’ll have a smile twitching onto Seonghwa’s face. Once, he even had a laugh coaxed out of him, something that was quickly followed by the flash of a camera. When they stop for a break, Jinyoung and Seonghwa share more conversation. The photographer even shows the blond some of his photos, making Seonghwa laugh and hide his blushing face when he comments, “Wah, so handsome!” All in all, the shoot flies by, and suddenly everyone’s packing up.

Seonghwa thanks the crew, heading back into the dressing room to change. Normally, if he would be on camera at his next schedule, it wouldn’t matter, but he’ll be heading to practice with his vocal coach next. That belt in Utopia is slightly different from his usual range, and his coach wants to make sure he’s not demolishing his vocal cords. Just as they’re heading out, someone urgently runs up to Taehoon-hyung, beginning to pull him aside as they whisper furiously at him.

“Ah, Seonghwa-ssi, you can go ahead to the car. I’ll be there in a minute,” he says, handing Seonghwa the keys as he rushes away.

The blond stares after them for a moment before shrugging, making his way to the exit. It’s not a big deal to him; he might even be able to catch a nap while he waits. The idea is enough to bring a quirk to his lips; even ten minutes sounds like a dream right now. Or maybe he’ll even catch up on the drama he’s watching, he had to stop in the middle of an episode, and he’s dying to know how it’ll end. Unfortunately, as Seonghwa makes his way to the elevator, all thoughts of any leisurely activities while he waits go down the drain when he glances through a window as he walks by.

Rain. It’s outright pouring rain. And Seonghwa definitely doesn’t have an umbrella.

The blond feels his shoulders slump, biting back a whine. On any other day, if the car was parked closer or even in a parking garage, or if he had literally _anything_ to shield himself, he wouldn't be so disappointed. Today, however, with neither of these situations present, Seonghwa can only gaze despondently out the window. He sighs in disappointment as he realizes he’ll have to stand here awkwardly, waiting for Taehoon-hyung to show up from wherever he’s been pulled off to for who knows how long. He can already feel the anxiety creeping in the back of his head, imagining himself standing there as people come and go, eyeing him as he just lurks in front of the elevator weirdly. Sure he could just do something on his phone, but that wouldn’t stop the feeling of eyes on him every time he’d hear the doors ding open or footsteps going by. Maybe he should just run for it, rain be damned, and just risk getting a cold. But if he _does_ get sick, then that’s definitely going to affect the rest of the group, and he’d _really_ rather not hold them back _again_ —

“Seonghwa-ssi?”

Seonghwa jumps in surprise, letting out a squeak as he whirls around to face the speaker. He blinks as his brain grounds itself back in reality and realizes it’s just Jinyoung, wearing a black hoodie now. Large eyes blink at him curiously. “Everything okay? I called your name, and you didn’t respond.”

“A-Ah, sorry, I was just thinking.” Seonghwa stammers, embarrassment burning his ears.

Overthinking, more like. It’s too late in the day for spiraling thoughts; those are for early mornings when he’s mostly still asleep and very out of it. Not because he was caught off guard by _rain_. Jinyoung nods in understanding, features forming an easy smile. “Were you waiting for the elevator?”

The vocalist shakes his head, feeling his face flush, “Oh, uh, not yet. I saw the rain and, um, got d-distracted.”

Jinyoung steps closer so he’s next to Seonghwa, turning to look out the window. The man whistles lowly, adjusting the straps of his backpack. “It’s really coming down, huh?”

“Unfortunately,” the blond nods, “And I didn’t… bring an umbrella either.”

“Seriously?” Jinyoung asks, eyes wide. “Does your manager have one then?”

He shakes his head, sighing as he says, “No, but there’s probably one in the car.”

“Which is parked too far to just sprint to, right?” he asks, a teasing brow quirked.

Seonghwa pouts, shoulders slumping. “He even gave me the keys so I could wait in the car. I was going to take a nap…”

Junyoung gives him a considering look. “How about this,” he says, reaching forward to call the elevator, “we can share my umbrella, seeing as I have to go in the same direction anyway. That way, you get to take a nap instead of pouting, and I won’t feel bad about leaving you to pout.”

Seonghwa gapes at him. “I wasn’t pouting!”

When Jinyoung faces him again, there’s a teasing smirk on his face. “You definitely were. It was cute.”

Before he has the chance to respond, the elevator dings, and the door opens. Jinyoung steps inside, quirking a brow when Seonghwa doesn’t move. Flustered, he quickly steps inside and presses the button for the correct floor, puffing his cheeks.

“See? You’re doing it again.”

Seonghwa feels his face flush, turning to shoot the grinning man a glare as he tugs the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and pulls the drawstrings to hide his face. The photographer just snorts at him. “I think I’ll just take my chances with the rain.”

“Aww, no, don’t say that.” Jinyoung bumps elbows with him. “I’ll be nice. I promise.”

As the elevator continues to descend, he shrugs off one of the straps, pulling his backpack half in front of him and unzipping it. It’s then Seonghwa notices that the bag has two sets of zippers, and he tilts his head curiously.

“It’s for my camera and the equipment.”

The blond blinks, seeing that Jinyoung was glancing up at him. “Hm?”

“You were looking at my bag. The front zipper opens the part that holds my camera and all its accessories. That takes up most of the bag. The part I’m in now is for smaller and flatter stuff. I was able to fit my umbrella in here this morning, though, see?”

He holds up said item in triumph, rezipping his bag and putting it back on. Seonghwa nods, loosening the drawstrings of his hood. “Will it be okay in the rain, though?”

“It’s an umbrella, Seonghwa-ssi, that’s what it’s made for.”

“I’m sprinting through the rain.”

Jinyoung laughs, undoing the strap on the black mini umbrella. “Yes, it’ll be fine. The bag is water-resistant, so the rain will just roll off.”

The elevator dings, doors sliding open. They make their way out of the elevator together to the entrance, unsurprised to see that the rain has not stopped. If anything, Seonghwa would wager to say it’s actually raining _harder_. It’s also dark as shit, too, clouds completely blocking out the sun. If he didn’t know better, he’d think it’s closer to dusk than noon. They walk to the door, stopping in front to gather themselves. Jinyoung pulls his hood over his head, turning to look at Seonghwa as he adjusts his bag. “Ready?” Jinyoung asks, placing a hand on the door.

Seonghwa licks his lips, laughing internally at how ridiculous they must seem, standing in front of the door as if they’re heading off to war or something, rather than just rain. In the end, he just nods, taking the car keys out of his pocket and into his hand. Jinyoung pushes the door open, reaching out with the umbrella first to click it open, stepping out under it once it’s open. Seonghwa steps out beside him a moment later, huddling close when he feels rain catch his arm. Jinyoung holds the umbrella a little higher to better shield them.

“Alright, where to?”

An indeterminate amount of time later finds the two men damper and giggliest than when they left, Seonghwa full-on clinging to Jinyoung’s arm at this point. As soon as Jinyoung had asked him where they were going, Seonghwa realized he wasn’t entirely sure where Taehoon-hyung parked the car.

What followed was the two of them walking semi-confidently in one direction that then devolved into two grown men running around and clinging to each other as they tried to simultaneously find the car and stay dry. They did eventually find the car, and Jinyoung didn’t refrain from mentioning that they had, in fact, passed it _so_ many times without realizing it.

When Seonghwa unlocks the doors and climbs in, the photographer dutifully holds the umbrella over him as he turns on the car. The blond closes the door to avoid any potential rain getting in but is quick to roll down the window. Jinyoung leans closer to better hear him over the rain, umbrella meeting the roof of the car. 

“Thanks again, hyung,” Seonghwa says, smiling at the other. At some point during their trek through the rain, one comment had led to them exchanging ages. Seonghwa had assumed Jinyoung was older than him but was surprised it was only by barely two years.

The elder just smiles in response, running his free hand through his hair. His hood had fallen down at one point during their frantic running. “It was no problem. I’m glad I could help.”

Just then, there’s a flash of light through the sky, thunder rumbling not too long after. The two look up at the sky, Seonghwa’s brows furrowing in worry.

“You’re not parked too far away, are you?” he asks in concern. 

The man just shakes his head, “Nah, I’m a couple cars down.”

The younger smiles in relief, opening his mouth to thank him again and wish him well when the other seems to jolt, letting out an “Oh!” as he remembers something. Seonghwa watches him dig his phone out of his back pocket, holding the umbrella between his neck and shoulder as he digs a card out of the wallet attached to its case.

“Here. If your company or you ever decide to break into modeling, give me a call,” he says, handing him the card.

Seonghwa looks down at the business card. The card itself is simple, white with stylized Hangul in the center reading “Timeless Photographies.” On the back is simply a phone number and address. He notices the black letters gleam gold when they catch the light.

“Or if you just want to talk too. You’re pretty fun to talk to, Seonghwa-yah.”

He looks up at the statement, a smile inching onto his face at the affectionate honorific. “Yeah, sure, hyung.”

Jinyoung’s smile is wide and bright when the blond responds.

Just then, there’s another crack of lightning, and thunder booms much louder than before, startling Seonghwa.

“Ah, I guess that’s my cue. It was great meeting you, Seonghwa-yah!” Jinyoung says as he turns and starts jogging away, calling over his shoulder. “It’s a cell number, so you can just shoot me a text anytime!”

Seonghwa nods, waving as he yells over the pouring rain, “O-Okay! Bye, hyung!”

He rolls up the window and watches Jinyoung’s dark figure as he ducks into a car several spots down, the engine starting and the car soon pulling out of the spot and driving away. He looks back down at the card before a shiver runs through him, suddenly reminded of the chill the rain brought. By now, the car has warmed up, and he reaches over to turn the heat on, cranking it to full blast. He turns on the radio, so he’s not sitting in complete silence, his tongue unknowingly poking between his lips when he looks back at the card. Seonghwa saves the number in his phone and contemplates texting before deciding to do it when he returns to the dorm. For now, he decides to catch up on the drama he was watching, keeping an eye out for Taehoon-hyung.

Eventually, the rain stops, though the clouds remain, and soon after, his manager comes running up to the car. He apologizes as soon as Seonghwa unlocks the doors and he climbs into the driver seat.

“Did you have to run through the rain?” he asks as they’re pulling out of the parking lot.

Seonghwa shakes his head, corners of his lips quirking up as he responds, “I had some help.”

Taehoon-hyung glances at him with a quirked brow but doesn’t say anything more.

Later that night, when Seonghwa is lying in bed, the dorm quiet, and Hongjoong for once sleeping below him, he opens the messenger app on his phone. He had given his manager the business card earlier, informing him the same thing Jinyoung had told him. Now, he stares at the blinking cursor and tries to think of a non-awkward way to start a conversation. In the end, he just goes for it.

_Hi_

_-Seonghwa_

Before he even has a chance to overthink even just that, Jinyoung responds.

**Chae Jinyoung**

_Hey :)_

Seonghwa feels a smile bloom on his face.

* * *

It’s early May of 2019 when Seonghwa makes a new friend. 

It’s mid-September of 2019 when that friend turns into something more. 

It’s in December of that same year when Seonghwa’s world completely changes, and that friend turned something more, becomes something, some _one_ even more in a way like no other.

**Author's Note:**

> I really wish there was a way to change line spacing cause the texting part looks weeiirrdd.


End file.
